Box Scores - W 2-1 / L 3-0

EAST STROUDBURG - Sophomore shortstop Brittany Racek hit a walk-off home run to give East Stroudsburg University a 2-1 win over Shippensburg in the opener to put the Warriors one step closer to their third straight PSAC playoff appearance as they split a doubleheader with the visiting Raiders on Friday afternoon at Zimbar Field.

Shippensburg (23-15, 11-5) won the second game 3-0 behind a four-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts from Dana Ward. The split gives ESU (19-18 overall) a 5-9 PSAC East record, one game behind West Chester (6-8) for the division's third and final spot in the playoffs going into the final day of the regular season.

The Golden Rams swept Millersville (1-13) on Friday and host division-leading Kutztown (13-1) Saturday, while ESU travels to Millersville. If West Chester doesn't pick up a win against Kutztown, the Warriors own the tiebreaker with by virtue of their 1-3 record against second-place Shippensburg. A West Chester win in either game would put the Golden Rams in the playoffs.

Racek scored both of the Warriors' runs in the first game as she tripled to lead off the bottom of the first inning and scored on a base hit by junior OF Kara Darcey. ESU senior Jennifer Bensinger and Shippensburg's Emily Parkins matched zeroes until the seventh, when the Raiders capitalized on an ESU error to tie the game at 1-1.

Parkins retired the first two batters in the seventh before Racek stepped to the plate and hit her second home run of the season over the left-field fence to give the Warriors the 2-1 victory.

Bensinger threw her 14th complete game of the season, with five strikeouts and one walk, and improves to 10-9 on the year. She scattered nine hits over seven innings, while ESU collected 10 hits off Parkins.

In the second game, Shippensburg did all of its scoring in the first inning, including a pair of unearned runs, to provide the offense for Ward. Lisamarie Ramagli drew a bases loaded walk to plate the first run and an error allowed the final two runs to score.

Junior Jackie Battaglino (9-8) took the loss for ESU despite allowing just one earned run over seven innings.

Racek was 2-for-4 in the first game and 2-for-3 in the second game to lead the Warriors offense. Sophomore OF Jamie Mingis and senior 1B Kerri Jakobsen both had two hits in the opener as well.